


Fragile Tension

by Emi_coyote



Category: Depeche Mode
Genre: Dubious Consent, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-27 03:57:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15677562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emi_coyote/pseuds/Emi_coyote
Summary: Martin and Alan have been at each others throats for weeks until their bickering finally comes to a head. Listed Rape/Non-Con because dubious consent





	Fragile Tension

“Give it back, Gore!”

“Sod off Wilder, I haven’t touched your things!”

“Rubbish, I know you have. Now give it back!” Alan shouted while they kept fighting, much to Dave and Andy’s annoyance.

“They did this last tour also. What is their bloody problem?” Dave watched them bickering before shaking his head and twirling a pen between his fingers. He looked back at Andy once Alan chased Martin off the bus, the two still shouting each other. “They don’t even get this bad in the studio…”

“No, but it starts there. They’ll be fine once they have a good fight, don’t worry,” Andy replied off hand, watching the two continue to argue from the window, flinching when Martin started trying to hit Alan with his hat once he’d snatched it back. He looked back to see Dave staring at him in stunned silence, banana halfway to his mouth when Andy had said it. 

“What? How does that help?” Dave asked and watched them for another moment before they were herded back onto the bus. Alan flopped down across from Andy and Dave and glared daggers at Martin, who was brushing the dust off his hat and glaring back. “You two done now? Got it outta yer system?”

“Just bloody peachy, mate.” Alan grumbled and got up, retreating to his bunk and shoving the curtain shut. Martin shook his head before flopping down by Andy and laying his head on his shoulder, pouting a bit and avoiding Dave's gaze. Dave looked back towards the curtains and sighed, retreating back to his book while he contemplated some way to get his bandmates to actually get along without killing each other.

********

Alan was digging through a box of disks, trying to find the ones he needed for their soundcheck. It would be his luck that his Emulator disks would go missing right before a soundcheck, this is what happens when one lets random roadies tear down his set up instead. “Bloody hell, they couldn’t have gone that bloody far!” He brought his fist down on the platform and dropped his head in his hands as he yanked on his hair, shaking slightly to avoid shouting at anyone who walked by. He looked back up when he felt someone standing in front of him and didn’t even look up, glaring at their booted feet.

“Piss off, wanker. I’m not in the bloody mood.” He snarled and swiped a hand out at the person when they wouldn’t leave, instead feeling his wrist get grabbed. “Lemme go. I swear I’ll ring yer bloody neck if ya don’t sod o--OI!” Alan yelped and was about to punch the person, lowering his fist when he realised it was Martin holding his wrist. He managed to yank his arm out of Marts grip and glared daggers before turning around and digging through the boxes of disks again. “Sod off, Mart. I don’t have time for nonsense,”

 

“I know where your disks are. Ya want ‘em?” Martin winked and took a step back, smirking when Alan stood straight and glared at him again. “Come with me, and quit lookin’ so bloody murderous, will ya?” He smiled and dragged Alan off the stage by his jacket sleeve. “You stress too much, ya know?”

“Someone has to. The rest of you just fanny about like nothing is wrong when our things go missing! It’s a wonder anything gets accom--”

“Will you shut yer gob fer two seconds, ya uptight Nancy?” Martin hissed and shoved him a little towards a wall so he could have space. 

“Oh piss off, Mary. Just hand over my things and get out of me face,” Alan glared and almost caught himself before he tripped against a table. He watched Martin wander in an opposite direction then hurried after him, grabbing his wrist and glaring, “Where do ya think you’re wanderin’ off to? Where’s my bloody disks, Mary?”

“My name is Martin, you sod. Get it right or leave me alone,” It was Martin’s turn to glare at Alan and he kept walking, not stopping when Alan grabbed his jacket and tried to yank him back and get a straight answer.

“I got no problems leavin’ ya alone. Lord forbid you spend more than five minutes outside Fletch’s bed, right?” Alan sneered and shoved Martin against a wall while he was stunned, yelping when he was punched suddenly in the face. “What’s wrong, Mary? Think I didn’t know? Thought I was too thick tell what you get up to in private? I ain’t dense like Dave,” Alan snarled and swung his fist back, crying out when Martin grabbed it and twisted his arm behind his back suddenly. “Easy Mary, wouldn’t want your precious Fletchy to see ya being so unladylike--OW!” Alan cried out again and squirmed from Martins grasp before he wound up with a broken arm.

Martin shoved him into an empty room to avoid drawing any attention to their fight, taking another swing at Alan once they were alone. The second time Al was prepared for it and ducked, grabbing Martins curls and yanking them hard enough for him to screech and punch at him again.

“You fight like a girl, Al. You wouldn’t last five seconds in Bas,” Martin growled and doubled over when Al landed a hard punch in his gut. He fell on the ground and caught himself with an arm, glaring up at Alan before lunging forward to bite him but failing when Alan stepped away quickly.

“Better to fight like a girl than to be one, ya bloody poufter!.” He growled and Martin stared at him suddenly with tears in his eyes, shaking a little and staring at Alan in shock. Alan lowered his fist when he saw the look on Marts face and deflated, realising that he’d gone too far with his comment. Martin looked down and scooted back towards the wall, wiping his eyes and sniffing as he looked down and hiccuped a little. “Mart…..I-I’m sorry…..I didn’t mean--”

Alan paused when Martin pulled out and shoved a box towards him, burying his face in his knees to hide any more tears from Alan and shaking harder. “Take yer bloody disks and piss off.”

“Mart--”

“I said piss off!”

“Mart come on, I didn’t mean to--” Alan paused when he saw Martin scowling at him with teary red eyes. If looks could kill, Alan would have been a dead man ten times over. Al sighed and scooted closer to pull him into a hug, “I really am sorry Mart, it’s just been so stressful lately with this tour and those stupid reporters for that interview last week and…” He stroked Martins hair and relaxed some, wiping some tears from Martins eyes. “There’s been issues with Jeri too and…..”

“You bring it on yourself. Ya work too much and don’t know to relax, Al. And being jealous ain’t bloody helping…..” Martin muttered into Alans shoulder, and looked up with a little smile.

“Jealous? What are you on about?”

“Don’t think I can’t tell what you want. All your constant bitching and coming after me…...you’re no better than a fairy yourself, WIlder. Is that why you’re so tense? Been a while since you’ve had a man in your bed, Nancy?” Martin quirked an eyebrow and Alan grit his teeth, dragging Martin up and slapping him hard before backing up towards the door with the box. Martin followed behind him and grabbed his shoulder.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I couldn’t do that to Jeri. Unlike you I happen to actually CARE about my girlfriend” Alan went wide eyed and stepped away quickly when he felt Martin shift and press into his hip, shoving him back towards a table and cringing with disgust. “You’re a sick little fuck, Gore. Find someone else to spread your legs for.” He rubbed his cheek a little and grabbed his disks again before rushing out of the room, Leaving Martin to curl up again and stare at the door. 

Martin was finally able to collect himself after an hour and stood up slowly, raking a hand through his curls and adjusting his hat before opening the door to see Andy waiting for him. He shook his head a little and held his arms out, Andy coming over to give him a hug. 

“I told you to leave him alone until things blow over…”

“It was one little prank. I didn’t think he’d freak out.....”

**********

Martin sat down by Alan as the bus rolled along through the night, offering him a bottle of water but staying quiet so he could read under the small light in peace. Alan looked up when the bus hit a bump and stared at Martin, closing the book and sitting back. “Give it up, Gore. I’m not in the mood,”

“Give up what?” Martin looked over at him in confusion and shook his head, ruffling his hair a little. Al set his book down with more force than necessary and glared at Martin.

“I know you’re hiding my things again and I’d rather not get into another fist fight here,” Alan said plainly and sat back, glaring a little. Martin pouted and scooted away slightly.

“Because you know I’d beat your uptight arse into the tarmac and leave you for the dogs to eat,” Martin sat straight and fixed him with a firm glare, grabbing the bottle in case Al did try to hit him. He had no trouble beating Alan senseless with a bottle of water but relaxed when Alan sighed. 

“Just give me whatever you’ve hidden and MAYBE I won’t pound you,” Alan slammed his mouth shut once he spoke and saw Martin was blushing bright red. “I didn’t mean it like…..where’s me stuff, you wanker?!”

“Will you two keep it down? It’s 4 in the bloody morning!” Dave had poked his head out from his bunk to yell at them before shutting the curtain again, leaving the two of them stunned and silent. They looked back at each other and Martin scooted closer to Alan, their knees bumping together. 

“Al….I haven't hid any of your things, I just wanted to talk to you. Maybe pose an offer--”

“I’m not fucking you, Mart!” Alan hissed and shoved him back a little, gritting his teeth at his persistence. He looked back towards the bunks in case Dave or Andy heard them. And wanted to yell.

“Then don’t fuck me. I get it plenty elsewhere,” He stuck his tongue out when Alan cringed and scooted closer again, resting a hand his knee. Alan stood up quickly and held his hand up with the book in it, poised to throw it if he had to. “It might do you some good to actually get laid though,”

“Fuck you, Mary. OW!” Alan yelped when Martin threw the bottle at him and knocked him on the ground. Before he could land a punch on Al’s face though, Andy dragged him off and held onto him. Dave pulled Alan up quickly and they stood glaring daggers at each other. 

“Both of you, stop this. Mart, go lay down. Al, you go lay down elsewhere. NOW!” Alan yanked himself out of Daves grip and scowled at Martin as he went to his bunk. Dave looked back as Andy let go of Martin and pointed towards the back of the bus. “One more peep out of you before morning and you can bloody walk to the venue, Mart. Is that clear?” Martin huffed and nodded, before going to the back of the bus, slamming the door and leaving Andy and Dave alone.

“Just let them fight and get it out of their system….trust me….” Andy gave Dave a pat on the back and led him back to his bunk, “Let’s try to get some sleep, huh?”

*********

The next few weeks panned out fairly the same as the last. They’d get through a gig, be exhausted, go back to the hotel, Mart and Al would be at each other's throats, usually with Alan running away or making Mart cry. One night after a gig they were partying at a bar, Martin sitting next to a VERY drunk Alan as they watched Dave and Andy attempt and fail at karaoke.

Martin was somewhat relaxed after finishing his fourth drink, grateful yet that his attempts at avoiding Alan had so far been successful and he seemed harmless enough right now. He grabbed another drink from the bar and almost dropped it when he saw Alan in his path. He sighed a little and sidestepped before his arm was grabbed, “Get off me, I ain’t takin’ the bait,”

“Ain’t no bait. I got a thought,” Mart choked into his drink and stared at him, waving a hand a little so he’d just spit it out. Alan swayed a little and held onto the bar, slurring out his suggestion but Martin couldn’t hear him over the noise in the club. Al stood as straight as he could, his head bobbing a little and looking at Martin. “That’s my thought. Take it or leave it, Mary.” 

Martin snarled at being called Mary and slammed the rest of his drink, dragging Al by his shoulder to the bathroom. “Come on then. I'll show you who's Mary you bastard,” He shoved Alan towards the bathroom and dragged him to a stall, locking it and shoving Al hard against the door. “Stay.”

“I do what I want!” Al shouted and went to grab Martin's hat, sticking it on his head with a grin, “Pretty girls shouldn't cover their hair like that,” Martin stared at him and smacked his face hard, unlocking the stall door in case he needed a quick escape. He glared at Alan and stepped up close to him, a threatening snarl on his face.

“Call me a girl one more time, prick. Do it. I bloody dare you, ya uptight wanker,” Martin growled and narrowed his eyes at Al, pushing him into the wall hard enough for his head to hit the tiles. Alan laughed from the shove and stuck his tongue out, adding to Martin’s growing fury, “I've about had it with you constantly takin’ the piss o--"

“So you gonna just be a little bitch about it? Makes sense, too much of a pansy to actually fight like a real man, eh?” Alan countered before Martin tossed him out of the cubicle with enough force for him to land against the sinks. “Ooohhh, I’m shaking.” He waved his arms and stood up, still feigning terror. “Big Bad Marty’s gonna come eat me up, ooh how terrifying! Whatever will I do?!”

“Shut up Wilder. You and me. Outside. Now!” Martin grabbed Alans collar and dragged him through the crowd, .

“If we go outside, someone’s gonna get hurt…” Alan smirked but was thrown off when they made it to the door and Martin practically threw him onto the sidewalk. “Is that best you got, Mary? Draggin’ me out h--AAAHH!” Alan shouted when Martin pounced on him suddenly and started punching him. 

Alan managed to shove Martin off and punched him hard in the chest, grabbing his hair and shoving him into the side of the building face first while he was winded. Martin let out a pained howl when his hair was yanked again and Alan yanked him back to punch his face. 

Alan landed another punch on Martin's jaw, making him cover his mouth and spit out blood and one of his teeth. “You bastard! That fucking hurt!” he whined and ran after Alan, clotheslining him and kicking him in the ribs when he fell. Alan cried out while Martin kicked him before sitting on his chest, punching his face repeatedly and spitting blood on his face “You arrogant, prissy, high strung, homophobic, son of a bitch! I swear I'll fucking kill you!”

Alan yelped when he was slapped again and shoved Martin off after a few attempts, aiming to beat him senseless before he was dragged to his feet and was being held back by Andy. He snarled and struggled against his grasp while Martin tried to break free from Dave's hold.

“Are you two quite done?” Dave shouted and held Matin tighter when he tried to lunge at Alan again. “Enough already! This band is not gonna survive when you two tossers can’t go five minutes without trying to kill each other!” 

“Get the fuck off me! That prick has had this coming!” Martin howled and Dave dragged him backwards while Andy dealt with a squirming Alan. “I'll bloody kill him!”

“ENOUGH! I'm sick to death of you two always at eachothers throats! You need to get the bloody hell over it and act like decent human beings!” Dave cried and glared at them, arms crossed and shooting daggers at whoever was tempted to jump again. Alan finally yanked himself out of Andy's grasp and spat on the ground. “Bloody hell you two….”

“Why don’t you lecture your little Nancy boy there, Dave. He’s the one who’s been trying to drag me into bed with him!” Alan shouted and tried to lunge for Martin again but Andy grabbed him before he could reach. Andy grunted while Alan struggled against him again before he paused and shivered.

“Oh bloody hell, I'm gonna be sick…” Alan cringed and Andy released him quickly, the other three watched as Alan collapsed by a flower bed and threw up, shaking violently and leaning over. “Jesus….” 

“Serves him right.” Martin grumbled and spat out another mouthful of blood despite getting a dirty look from Dave. Andy was rubbing Al's back while he threw up again, laying his head on the cold stone when he was done.

“You know what Mart, just for that you get to keep an eye on him tonight.” Andy looked up and walked over to Dave. “Try not to kill him, eh?”

“What? Andy you can’t be serious!” Martin whined and stared at them, looking at Dave for support.

“I'm with Andy. Don’t kill him, eh?” Dave replied and they both started walking back to the hotel, leaving Alan and Martin alone to go on by themselves. Alan looked up a little bleary eyed and stared at Martin, still swaying a little. Martin sat down near him and snarled, spitting out another mouthful of blood.

“I hate you so bloody much….”

“The feeling is mutual, trust me.” Alan flopped back against the wall of the flower bed and shuddered, covering his mouth with his hand. “Bloody bint….”

“Excuse me?!” 

“You heard me, Mary. I called you a bint. You bugger anything with a pulse, got no class, and twice the makeup! You're a filthy, bloody, little slut! Christ if you're gonna be a bird, at least be a bird with class,” Alan snarled and was dragged to his feet suddenly by Martin.

“That's it you bastard. I'll show you who the fucking bird is!” Martin dragged him off the street and into an alley, pausing when they saw a man and some hooker about to go at it. “Piss off you two! This alley is taken,” Martin growled and the pair ran off, narrowly missing Alan being thrown in their direction. “Alright arsehole, there’s no Dave or Andy to save you this time. Fight me like a man,” He took a step closer then moved to the side when Alan lunged at him, landing against a garbage can before Martin yanked him back again. He landed a hard punch on Alans jaw and shoved him against the wall, whacking the side of his face against the bricks to scratch him up. 

Alan threw Martin off hard enough for him to lose his balance and fall, crying out when he landed hard on his arm. He sneered and tried to kick Martin in the ribs, gasping when Martin grabbed his leg and pulled him down to the ground, cringing when he landed on his arse. “Aaahh! What the--FUCKING HELL MARTIN!” He shouted when Martin reached forward and bit his leg hard. He kicked up and Martin narrowly avoided getting hit in the jaw again. Martin kept a tight grip on his leg and flipped Alan onto his stomach before sitting on him and smashing his face into the tarmac. Alan tried to sit up and buck Martin off of him, only managing to roll onto his back and reach up to punch his stomach.

Martin snarled and grabbed Alan’s wrists, pinning them to the rough ground and hovering over him. They were both glaring at each other and panting hard from the fight. Alan tilted his head up a little and got close to Martin’s face before backing off at his lunge. “Do it and I’ll bite ya!” Alan growled at him and struggled more before stopping suddenly and staring up at Martin with wide eyes. Martin looked down for a second then smirked when he realised what had caught him so off guard. 

“You’re a sick fuck, Mary….”

“I’ll show you who the Mary is, slag.” Martin sniped and wriggled his hips, making Alan groan loudly before Martin tilted his head down and swallowed it with a harsh kiss. They both groaned into the kiss, still fighting for dominance with teeth and tongues clashing against each other. Alan moaned into the kiss again and managed to push up and shove Martin onto his back, growling and looking down when he tore his lips away. They both locked eyes for a minute before Alan yanked Martin up for another kiss by his hair, pulling his curls hard enough to make him whimper. They pulled apart when they heard footsteps and looked up, Alan glaring out of the alley and not seeing Martin reach up to punch him again and throw him off, making him hit the wall again hard.

“Ow! Fuck!” Alan cringed when his shoulder hit the wall hard, trying to sit up and fight back before he was kicked hard in the ribs and stomach a few times. “And here I thought you didn’t like to play rough--OI!” Martin howled and yanked Alan to his feet, shoving him face first into the wall. 

“Do you ever shut that bloody mouth of yours?”

“Dunno, do you ever shut your bloody l--AH!” Alan hissed when Martin shoved his face hard into the bricks, effectively shutting him up as Martin kicked his legs apart and pressed their hips together. “You little pervert….”

Martin simply scoffed and reached a hand around to grope Alan's crotch with a smirk. “I'm not the only pervert here, Allie. Now shut up and take what you're given.” He sneered and started working Alan's belt and trousers open, shoving them down far enough to expose his arse but keep his cock trapped enough to make him suffer. Alan protested a little with a whine and Martin pulled his head back for another rough kiss to shut him up. Martin managed to get his own trousers unbuttoned and pulled back, shoving two fingers in Alans mouth. “Suck.”

Martin smirked and purred when he felt Alan's mouth around his fingers, closing his eyes and pressing his chest to Alan's back when a moan vibrated through his chest. Alan shivered when Martin's free hand went under his shirt and roamed over his chest, sucking harder and swirling his tongue around the fingers when Martin dragged his nails down his chest and bit down on his earlobe. He pulled his fingers from Alan's mouth quickly and took a step back, shoving him face first against the wall again with a grunt and shoving both fingers inside of his body quickly.

“Oh Jesus Mart, a little warning?” Alan whimpered and tried to grip the wall while Martin worked him open, pulling Alan's hips away and shaking his head. 

“You want a warning? Fine.” Martin growled and scissored his fingers before pressing them against Alan's prostate, leaning close against his ear when he let out a cry. “I'm gonna fuck you like the slut you think I am. That's yer bloody warning.” He snarled and pulled his fingers out quickly, grabbing Alan and forcing him onto his knees despite his protests. He shoved his trousers down further and then nudged Al's lips with his cock, trying make him open up. When he wouldn't budge, Martin growled and gave his cheek a little slap with his member, reaching down and yanking his head back to force his mouth open. Alan yelped and Martin took the chance to shove his cock in and fuck Alan's mouth without mercy, growling when he felt and heard Alan gagging and choking on him. He pulled out quickly and looked down with a smirk, Alan looking back up with tears in his eyes and tracks down his face from his eyeliner and dried blood.

Alan leaned forward a little then yelped when he was yanked back to his feet by his hair and shoved hard against the wall again, Martin scooting his hips out a little and knocking Alan's legs apart again before spreading one of his cheeks and shoving himself into Alan's body with one hard thrust. 

“AHH JESUS!” Alan cried out and Martin swallowed the rest with a rough kiss, holding him against the wall with an arm as he pulled out slowly, leaving only the tip for a moment before thrusting back in hard and making Alan practically scream into his mouth. Martin didn’t give Alan any time to adjust before he began pounding into him, covering his mouth to muffle his cries so they wouldn’t draw any attention. Alan clenched his eyes shut and tried clinging to the wall again, scratching up his hands and tearing his nails a little which only made him whimper more. “Mart….please….”

“What? You don’t get any sodding requests.” Martin growled and thrust into him faster, adjusting his angle some to hit Alan's prostate again and make him cry out. “You've wanted this, Al. Don’t bloody lie to me,” 

Alan looked back at him and grit his teeth, remaining quiet and pushing back against him. “I thought you were gonna fuck me like a man….” he croaked out between his cries, making Martin yank his hair again. Alan let out a pathetic moan when Martin pulled out of him suddenly and stepped back, pulling Alan with him and bending him over a rubbish bin all of a sudden. 

“Oh I'll fuck you like a man, alright.” Martin scowled and shoved himself back into Alan with one hard thrust, pounding into him mercilessly with the new angle making Alan feel tighter. “I'll fuck you stupid, Alan…..and you'll take it….just like you are now….taking my cock like some cheap whore…Every. Last. Bloody. Inch.” he stuttered out between thrusts, grunting every time he slammed in. He didn’t even care if Alan was enjoying himself, he was basically a punching bag to take his pent up aggression out on at this point. 

Alan was practically howling with need from Martin's movements, shoving a hand into his trousers and managing to free his cock from its confines. He had a feeling Martin was getting close, with the thrusts becoming more static and less rhythmic. Alan groaned again and stroked himself eagerly, pushing back against Martin more for encouragement.

“Harder…I need it…..Please fuck me harder, Martin!” Alan cried out before his hair was pulled hard and Martin growled by his ear. He could feel his climax start to pool in his belly and his vision start to cloud up, shaking a little when he was suddenly released and fell on to the pile of garbage. 

“Oohh, I'm gonna…...almost there….take it, Al. Take my cock like the whore you are,” Martin growled out as he snapped his hips a few more times then tensed up, digging his nails hard into Alan's hips and groaning loudly when his seed spilled inside him.

Alan let out a howl that was cut off by Martin's kiss when he came onto the side of the bin, reaching a hand up to cling to his neck as he shook a little. They parted their lips quickly and both panted hard, staring at each other before Alan started laughing. Martin stared at him for a minute before he began laughing as well, pulling out and leaning against another bin as they kept laughing in the alley.

Alan hung his head and looked down as his laughter subsided, shaking his head and raking a hand through his hair before looking back at Martin. “So uh……”

“What?” Martin stood up and tucked himself back into his pants, brushing off as much filth as he could before looking back at Alan.

“Are…..are we good?”

“I dunno. Are we?” 

Alan looked down for a moment and plucked a piece of rubbish off his sleeve, straightening up a little to lean against it with a nod. “Yeah….I think we are…” Martin nodded and looked Alan over before laughing again, loud and uncontrollable. 

“You look like shit, mate….” Martin leaned forward and sniffed, recoiling with a cringe, “And ya smell twice as bad!”

“You ain't got much room to bloody talk, ya bint!” They both started laughing again and Martin started towards the entrance to the alley, swatting Alans arse on the way. “Dave and Fletch are gonna have a fit when they see us, you know that?” 

“I know. I don’t care. They may be happier that we won’t try to kill each other, at least for a few weeks,” Martin shrugged and gave Al's arse another swat before fixing his trousers and stepping out of the alley. “And clean herself up, ya slag!” he called as he left, Alan sending him a glare before hurrying out of the alley as well.

******

Dave and Andy looked up from their table at the lobby and went wide eyed when Martin came down, cleaned up but still obvious he’d been in a pretty rough fight. 

“Mornin’ gents!” Martin chimed and flopped down in an armchair, acting like nothing was wrong. 

“You look like shit, Mart.” Dave looked Martin up and down and raised an eyebrow before cracking the paper open again. 

Andy shook his head and set the paper down, getting up to sit by Martin and get a better look at him. “Christ you're a sight. I'd hate to see the other guy though, Scrappy….” He ruffled Martin's hair a little then sat back to grab the paper and his coffee again. 

“Maybe you should ask him….” Martin commented after he looked back and saw Alan limping towards them, flopping in a chair and blinking when he realised Dave and Andy were staring at him and then at back at Martin. Dave swallowed quickly and looked between the two of them again before dropping the paper and coming to lean in close so only they could hear. 

“So you two are good then? No more of this sniping shit?” Dave gave them both a deadly stare before standing up and relaxing again, sitting by Alan and giving him a once over. “So Mart gave you the ol’ Basildon beatdown, eh? I'm amazed ya didn’t end up in hospital. Tough little bugger,” Dave ruffled Alan's hair and sat up. “Seriously though, you two get that shit out of your systems?” 

Alan and Martin nodded quickly in response, flashing each other a quick glance before Martin burst into giggles. “Don’t worry, I'll be a good boy. Scouts honor,” Aĺan raised a hand up before reaching over to steal Martin's coat and get up to run off as best he could.

“Hey, get back here with that you slag!” Martin jumped up and ran after him, almost hitting an older couple. 

“Gotta catch me first, ya curly headed bint!” 

Dave and Andy just stared after them, too shocked to respond at their bandmates suddenly being playful with each other instead of homicidal. Andy picked the paper up again looked back at Dave with a smirk, “Told you they just needed to fight it out,”


End file.
